McConnell plans Senate effort to preempt EPA carbon crackdown

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday introduced a bill that would try to block newly proposed government regulations that seek to curb carbon emissions from U.S. power plants. McConnell, a Republican who represents Kentucky – a major coal-producing state which is also reliant on coal for electricity generation – faces a tight re-election battle in November’s elections and has been campaigning on a promise to protect the state’s ailing coal sector. He launched the legislation on the Senate floor, saying it would block the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules unless proof was provided that the regulations will not threaten electric reliability, raise electricity prices or cost jobs. The EPA rules would put the United States on a course to reduce overall U.S. power plant emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, but each state will have its own target.